Mail-bag catcher



(No Model-J 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. P. HAUSS.

v MAIL BAG GATOHER. No. 800,969. Patented June'24, 1884.

I m l I\ w M INVENTOR.

Sheets-Sheet 2.

( Model.)

A- P- HAUSS.

MAIL BAG GATGHER,

WITNESSES:

UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

AUGUSTUS'P. HAUSS, OF SELLERSBURG, INDIANA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

-3PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,969, dated June 24, 1884.

Application filed April 8, 1884. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS P. HAUSS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sellersburg, in the county of Clark and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved mail-bag receiver and crane, showing a portion of a railroad-oar provided with my improved mail bag catcher and deliverer.

Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of the receiver and its arm. Fig. 3 is a View of the catcher and deliverer. Fig. 4 is a view of a slight modification of the same, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the recelver.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.-

My' invention has relation to devices for catching mail-bags and delivering them from railway trains; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the same, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, theletter A indicates the mail-bag crane, which is of the usual construction, being provided with the usual means for suspending the bag within easy reach of the catcher; and B indicates a lever pivoted to swing in a vertical plane upon the upper end of an upright post, 0, placed at the side of the crane, the end of the lever projecting to the same distance from the track as the ends of the supporting-arms of the crane. The outer end of the lever rests upon the upper end of a post, D, and has two downwardly-projecting lips. E, clamping the upper end of the post, and having perforations, through which a pin, F, passes, which passes through a perforation in the top of the post. A basket or receiver, G, shaped like a chairseat, is pivoted upon a bolt, H, passing th rough and secured upon the end of the lever, and passing through the bottom of the receiver, which has a guard, I, shaped like the back of a chair-seat, and a number of downwardly-inclined curved arms, J, at its outer edge. The

bar K, forming the outer edge of the bottom of the receiver, has two perforations, L, at equal distances from the pivotal bolt, through which perforations a pin, M, may pass into a perforation in the lever, the said pin serving to hold the receiver in position facing in either direction. the usual horizontal rocking shaft, 0, having the handle I, and the forked catcher-arms Q, is secured upon the side of the car in the usual manner, and an outwardly and thereupon downwardly-bent arm, R, projects from the rocking shaft to the rear of the forked catcher-arms, and has at its lower end a rearwardly-bent double-jawed clamp, S, thesaid bent arm and its clamp forming the deliverer. This deliverer is preferably made in one with the catcher, but maybe made detachable, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, having a sleeve, T, at its inner end, which is fitted upon the rocking shaft and secured upon the same by means of a set-screw, T, or similar means, enabling it to be attached to a usually constructed catcher. It will now be seen that as the train passes along by the crane and receiver, which latter has bqzn placed to face with its open side in the direction from which the train is coming, and the bag to be caught is placed upon the crane, and the bag to be delivered has been placed with its bail or strap in the bifurcated clamp of the deliverer, the catcher will remove the bag upon the crane, while at the same time the bag to be delivered will be caught by the receiver, the bail or strap of the bag slipping offfrom the clamp. In this manner the danger of the bag being drawn under the train and mutilated, which will at times happen by simply throwing the bag out of the car when the train is in motion, will be avoided, the device catching and delivering the bags at the same time. By turning the receiver upon the end of the lever it may be brought to face trains coming in either direction, and by removing the pin passing through the perforated lips upon the lever and through the end of the abutment-post the lever may have its outer end raised, throwing it out of the way of projecting objects from freight or construction trains.

Having thus described my in vention, I claim The catcher N, which consists of and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. The combination of a mail-bag receiver shaped like achair-seat, having a curved rear guard-rail and downwardly-inclined arms at its outer edge, and pivoted upon the end of a lever, with means for securing it upon the lever facing in opposite directions, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. The combination of a lever pivoted to swing in a vertical plane, and having means for securin g it resting in a horizontal position, a mail-bag receiver having a curved guardrail and downwardly inclined curved arms upon its forward edge, and pivoted to turn in a horizontal plane upon the end of the lever, and a pin fitting in either of two perforations in the outer rail of the bottom of the receiver and in a corresponding perforation in thelever, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. The combination of 2a mail-bag catcher consisting of a rocking shaft, a handle, and

two forwardly-pointing catcher-arms, with an outwardly-projecting and downwardly-bent arm having a double-jawed rearwardly-projecting clamp upon its lower end, secured upon the rocking shaft, as and fort-he purpose shown and set forth.

4. The combination of a mail-bag catcher consisting of a rocking shaft, an inwardlyprojecting handle, and forwardly-projecting AUGUSTUS P. HAUSS. j

Witnesses:

CHARLES SMITH, BENJAMIN ADKINS. 

